Donald Trump Descend d’Air Force One à Palm Beach, en Floride, the 13 Avril 2025 (AFP / Mandel Ngan)
Supported by Washington’s announcement of exemptions on high-tech products, the financial markets evolve in green on Monday, even if Donald Trump maintained the pressure on the trade partners of the United States, in the foreground of which China is.
The American president thus warned on Sunday that no country was “shot” in the face of his customs offensive, “especially not China which, by far, treats us most,”, he thundered on his social network Truth.
But he was once again open to the compromise on Monday, saying that he was “looking at how to help car manufacturers”, a sector targeted by 25% customs duties, ensuring that he did not want to “hurt anyone”.
United States: the main goods imported from China (AFP / Jonathan Walter)
On Saturday, Washington announced an exemption from surcharge – up to 145% for China – granted by the American authorities for high -tech products, smartphones and computers in mind, as well as on semiconductors.
This announcement comforted the global markets that started the week on the right foot, Asian and European places closing in green, with Wall Street in the same trend.
Investors do not seem to be worried about seeing specific customs duties apply to the Tech sector, a possibility that could materialize “probably in a month or two,” said Commerce Minister Howard Lunick on Sunday.
“We cannot rest on China for fundamental things we need. Our drugs and semiconductors must be produced in America,” said Lutnick during an ABC channel interview.
– “Small step” –
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce recognized on Sunday the “small step” made by Washington on high-tech products, while urging the United States “to take a big step to correct its errors, completely cancel the poor practice of reciprocal customs duties and return to the right of mutual respect.”
Chinese presidents Xi Jinping and American Donald Trump (Pool / Andres Martinez Casares)
Protectionism “does not lead anywhere”, repeated Chinese President Xi Jinping, in words reported on Monday by the official China New Agency.
“Our two countries must firmly preserve the multilateral trading system, the stability of industrial and world supply chains as well as an international opening and cooperation environment,” said the manager, who began a visit to Vietnam on Monday before going to Malaysia and Cambodia, to strengthen the trade relations of his country.
In this tense context, the organization of oil exporting countries (OPEC) has slightly revised its forecast for growth in oil demand for 2025, citing American customs duties, according to its monthly report published on Monday.
While continuing to knock out China, Donald Trump seemed to give some respite to the other trade partners of the United States, by relieving them on Wednesday for 90 days of customs taxes previously announced, and by adding them only 10% customs duties.
Visiting Washington, the European Commerce Commissioner, Maros Sefcovic, assured that the European Union (EU) was ready to find “a fair agreement” with the United States but that a “significant joint effort, on both sides”, will be necessary to achieve this.
At the 145% of cumulative surcharge imposed by Donald Trump on Chinese products since his return to the White House, excluding exemptions, Beijing has retaliated by making its customs duties jump 125% since Saturday.
A configuration that could create a risk of recession and force the American federal reserve, the Fed, to reiterate its rates faster, even if the customs duties would draw inflation up, judged one of its officials on Monday, Christopher Waller.
In a first criticism of the customs offensive of Donald Trump the day before, Beijing posed as a defender of poor countries by making public an appeal with the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, during which China had warned against “the serious damages” that these surcharges inflicted on the developed countries, “in particular” them”.
Despite these strong trade tensions between the first two world economic powers, Donald Trump said “optimistic” on Friday on a trade agreement with Beijing.
The United States absorbed 16.4% of the total Chinese exports, for a total exchange of $ 500 billion, according to Beijing data, largely in deficit for the United States.
